Dizziness Specialist

Houston Neurological Institute

Neurology Specialists located in Pasadena, TX & Pearland, TX

It's not unusual to suffer from dizziness sometimes, and most often, it isn't a cause for concern. However, if you have frequent or prolonged dizzy spells and other unpleasant symptoms like vertigo, Houston Neurological Institute in Pasadena and Pearland, Texas, can help. Its highly-skilled neurologists diagnose the cause of dizziness and vertigo, and provide effective solutions for the condition. To benefit from their expertise, call the Houston Neurological Institute office nearest you or book an appointment online today.

Dizziness Q & A

What causes dizziness?

Dizziness is a feeling of faintness and unsteadiness that's often accompanied by vertigo (a sense that the room's spinning) and poor balance.

It's typically due to a sudden drop in blood pressure, poor blood flow that's depriving your brain of oxygen, or an inner ear condition. Some of the common problems that can cause dizziness include:

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV)

BPPV is an inner ear problem that causes symptoms when you move your head in a particular way.

Vestibular migraine

A vestibular migraine causes significant dizziness and vertigo in addition to the pain and other typical migraine symptoms.

Menière's disease

Menière's disease affects the balance and hearing parts of your inner ear. It can cause dizziness and vertigo, loss of hearing, and tinnitus (ringing or other sounds in your ear).

Vestibular neuritis

Vestibular neuritis (inflammation of the vestibular nerve in your inner ear) is typically due to an infection. It affects your sense of balance, causing dizziness, vertigo, nausea, and vomiting.

Labyrinthitis

Labyrinthitis is inflammation of the labyrinth in your inner ear, which contains fluid-filled channels that regulate balance and hearing.

Heart attacks, strokes, and TIAs (transient ischemic attacks or pre-strokes) can also cause dizziness and other symptoms.

How is dizziness diagnosed?

If you're experiencing dizziness, your provider at Houston Neurological Institute asks about your symptoms and conducts a thorough physical exam to look for signs of the disorder that's causing them.

They may ask you to perform certain movements while they examine your eyes or use a diagnostic method called quantitative video-oculography to check for signs of vestibular neuritis or stroke.

Other potential tests for dizziness include electronystagmography (ENG) and videonystagmography (VNG).

If they need to see inside your head, MRI is the best type of neuroimaging for these conditions.

How is dizziness treated?

Treatments for dizziness are dependent on what's causing them. If you have a stroke, it's vital to get immediate treatment to prevent irreversible brain damage. That usually involves restoring blood flow to your brain by dissolving or removing the blockage in your arteries.

Similarly, if you have a heart attack, the priority is to restore blood flow in your heart before too much tissue dies from lack of oxygen.

If you have an inner ear infection that's causing dizziness, you might need medications to eliminate the infection and reduce inflammation.

Most patients with BPPV benefit from a canalith repositioning procedure, a hands-on technique where your provider moves your head to shift the particles in your ear that are causing the problem.

To find out why you're suffering from frequent or persistent dizziness, call Houston Neurological Institute today or book an appointment online.

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